Raleigh, NC – North Carolina House Majority Leader Rep. John Bell issued the following statement Thursday afternoon in response to current Gun Legislation.

“It is alarming that numerous major media organizations continue to mislead the public on the different provisions in House Bill 746. It is clear these organizations have not yet read the bill in its entirety, or else they have intentionally chosen to report false information that plays into the liberal narrative. This legislation proves House Republicans are committed to providing a responsible approach to public safety while maintaining the ability for law-abiding citizens to protect themselves and their families.”

I would also like to share some updates on Rylan’s Law. This legislation, passed unanimously by the house, is intended to strengthen our child protective services. My Senate counterparts have taken additional steps to correct the services and further strengthened the outreach of this bill. It is my expectation that we will continue this legislation through to completion.

Another important update we have is related to the Governor’s special session. North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) released a statement Thursday rejecting Gov. Roy Cooper’s invalid and unconstitutional call for a special session:

“Governor Cooper has no constitutional role in redistricting and his latest political stunt is an effort to deter House lawmakers from our work on a bipartisan budget that received support from both parties,” Moore said.

“The North Carolina House of Representatives fully intends to comply with a federal court’s order to redraw our legislative maps, however, we do not yet have guidance from the court on how to do so, nor have we been given time to undertake a comprehensive redistricting process with sufficient notice and opportunities for public input.”

“Further, the federal court did provide direction for the legislature to undertake redistricting in a regular session, not a special session. The House intends to do so after receiving guidance from the court, and in the meantime we remain committed to cutting taxes, raising teacher pay and protecting North Carolina’s citizens with disaster relief funding and historic commitments to our state’s savings reserves.”

Weekly Update

Monday

· Spoke at Samarcand Training Academy for ceremonial opening of the new firing range.

· Met with conference budget team

Tuesday

· Met with Caucus colleagues

· Attended the Senate Judiciary Committee to witness the continuance of Rylan’s Law

· Went into session

· Met with conference budget team

Wednesday

· Caucused with Republican Colleagues

· Hosted Miss Teen Pinehurst, Callie McIntyre in Raleigh

· Entered Session

· Met with conference budget team

Thursday

· Attended Senate Rules Committee to witness the final Senate committee stop for Rylan’s law